This disclosure relates to a thrust chamber of a rocket engine system that allows higher energy from hydrocarbon fuels.
Bi-propellant rocket engines are known and used to power aerospace vehicles. A typical bi-propellant rocket engine can utilize an expander cycle. The expander cycle typically involves heating the fuel, which is then expanded over a turbine drive system to drive a propellant pump before delivery to the combustion chamber.
Typically, the expander cycle fuel is a light-molecule fuel, such as liquid hydrogen, methane or propane. The expander cycle fuel has a high specific heat that is advantageous to cooling the chamber and/or nozzle and providing the energy to power the propellant pumps. Heavier molecule hydrocarbon fuels have not found widespread use in expander cycle rocket engines because at high temperatures, heavier fuels tend to form coke deposits that block the passages and foul the system.